Retired Celina officer indicted, accused of misusing law enforcement database

CELINA — A retired Celina Police officer is facing charges after being accused of misusing a law enforcement database.

Mark Burgoon, 50, was indicted by a Mercer County grand jury Thursday.

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Burgoon’s wife contacted the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office in November 2021 and accused Burgoon of harassing her. She also accused Burgoon using a law enforcement database to find people there were friends with her.

The Sheriff’s office launched an investigation into the allegations and learned there were ongoing marital issues between the two. Several allegations had been made against each other, as well as unwanted communication between them both, according to a release.

During the investigation, Sheriff Jeff Grey stated that it was revealed that Burgoon “improperly used the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) to a person who he believed was a friend of his wife” in August 2021.

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The database is used by law enforcement to do many functions, such as check driving records, identify owners of vehicles from license plates and run a criminal history on a person. Grey said accessing the LEADS system for any reason outside of a law enforcement purpose is a fifth degree felony.

Burgoon is scheduled to appear in Mercer County Common Pleas Court on June 28 at 2:30 p.m.

The investigation is ongoing and Grey said misdemeanor charges are being reviewed for other individuals, not including Burgoon.

We’ll update this story as we learn more.

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